Don Resnick’s ‘Essence of Place’

Art artist's life on view at Hofstra University

Don Resnick’s Marshes, an oil on linen, is among the works on view in Hofstra’s solo exhibit that reflects the artist’s lifelong passion for nature.

Courtesy Hofstra University Museum

By Karen Bloom

Don Resnick, the renowned Rockville Centre-based painter, who died in 2008, was captivated by the beauty of land and sea – on his beloved Long Island and in Maine, where he and his family summered for many years. Nature was his muse, reflected in his prolific output of paintings that express the joy he found in the natural world around him. His legacy is on view in “Don Resnick: Essence of Place,” the current exhibit at Hofstra University Museum’s Emily Lowe Gallery, which runs through Aug. 15. This compelling exhibition features Resnick’s landscape paintings, drawings, watercolors and sketchbooks that highlight his interest in and commitment to preserving the natural environment. “‘Essence of Place’ conveys the essential and eloquent beauty of the land, sea and sky on Long Island and surrounding the Resnick family enclave in Maine,” said curator Karen T. Albert, the museum’s associate director of exhibitions and collections, in her exhibit statement. “Resnick’s deep commitment to the environment is evidenced through his visual messages that urge us to protect our estuaries, forests, fields and coastlines.” Resnick was born 1928 in New York City, and lived and worked from his home-studio in Rockville Centre from 1957 until his death. He was a student of Oskar Kokoschka, Raphael Soyer, Seymour Lipton and Julian Levi. He studied at Hobart College, The School for Social Research in New York City, and the Internationale Akademie fur Bildende Kunst in Salzburg, Austria. “My husband loved painting and painted his entire life,” said Jeanette Resnick, a pianist. “We shared many happy times together. While he would be in his studio working, I would be working on my music.” When Hofstra came calling, a little over a year ago, Jeanette Resnick opened up her husband’s studio to Albert and Beth E. Levinthal, Hofstra University Museum’s executive director, and collaborated with them in selecting works that would become the focus of this retrospective.